Unius antiqui . . . . sanctior et melior videbatur; unde et ob ejus bonitatem et antiquitatem pater vocabatur. . . . Cum funis esset brevior dimittens se deorsum cadere, tibiam sibi fregit, auri et argenti præ maximo pon-dere gravatus.

It is asserted, that at Vitry forty Jews, in the king's prison, seeing that they were sure to die, and desirous to escape from falling into the hands of the uncircumcised, unanimously agreed to get one of their old men, who passed for a good and holy person, and whom they called their father, to put them out of the world. He would not consent, except upon condition of a young man's being associated with him in the task. When all were killed, and these two alone remained, each sought to die by the other's hand. The old man gained the point, and by his prayers persuaded the young one to put him to death. The young man, seeing himself left alone, collected the gold and silver which he found on the corpses, made himself a rope out of their dresses, and let himself down from the top of the tower. But the rope being too short, and the weight of gold too heavy, he broke his leg, was taken, confessed all, and met an ignominious death.

P. 79; reported Jules Michelet, History of France, tr. G. H. Smith (New York, 1882), vol. i, p. 406