CHRISTUS. 
O faithless generation and perverse! 
How long shall I be with you, and suffer you? 
Bring thy son hither.

BYSTANDERS. 
                How the unclean spirit
Seizes the boy, and tortures him with pain! 
He falleth to the ground and wallows, foaming! 
He cannot live.

CHRISTUS. 
                How long is it ago
Since this came unto him?

THE FATHER. 
                       Even of a child. 
Oh, have compassion on us, Lord, and help us,
If thou canst help us.

CHRISTUS. 
                  If thou canst believe. 
For unto him that verily believeth,
All things are possible.

THE FATHER. 
                        Lord, I believe! 
Help thou mine unbelief!

CHRISTUS. 
               Dumb and deaf spirit,
Come out of him, I charge thee, and no more
Enter thou into him!

The boy utters a loud cry of pain, and then lies still.

BYSTANDERS. 
                     How motionless
He lieth there.  No life is left in him. 
His eyes are like a blind man’s, that see not. 
The boy is dead!

OTHERS. 
           Behold! the Master stoops,
And takes him by the hand, and lifts him up. 
He is not dead.

DISCIPLES. 
         But one word from those lips,
But one touch of that hand, and he is healed! 
Ah, why could we not do it?

THE FATHER. 
                     My poor child! 
Now thou art mine again.  The unclean spirit
Shall never more torment thee!  Look at me! 
Speak unto me!  Say that thou knowest me!

DISCIPLES to CHRISTUS departing. 
Good Master, tell us, for what reason was it
We could not cast him out?

CHRISTUS. 
            Because of your unbelief!

VIII

THE YOUNG RULER

CHRISTUS. 
Two men went up into the temple to pray. 
The one was a self-righteous Pharisee,
The other a Publican.  And the Pharisee
Stood and prayed thus within himself:  O God,
I thank thee I am not as other men,
Extortioners, unjust, adulterers,
Or even as this Publican.  I fast
Twice in the week, and also I give tithes
Of all that I possess!  The Publican,
Standing afar off, would not lift so much
Even as his eyes to heaven, but smote his breast,
Saying:  God be merciful to me a sinner! 
I tell you that this man went to his house
More justified than the other.  Every one
That doth exalt himself shall be abased,
And he that humbleth himself shall be exalted!

CHILDREN, among themselves. 
Let us go nearer!  He is telling stories! 
Let us go listen to them.

AN OLD JEW. 
                   Children, children! 
What are ye doing here?  Why do ye crowd us? 
It was such little vagabonds as you
That followed Elisha, mucking him and crying: 
Go up, thou bald-head!  But the bears—­the bears
Came out of the wood, and tare them!