"Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed."--Ps. xxxvii. 3. he was walking along the street, he saw a crowd collected round a door. Stepping up to see what had brought so many people together, he heard the words, "Going, going, gone," pronounced by a man standing on a bench just inside the door. It was an auction sale, or "roup," as it is called in Scotland. He was riveted to the spot. It was a curious sight to a boy who had never witnessed anything of the kind before. Chairs, bedsteads, carpets, of furniture were sold in Finally the auctioneer held and other articles rapid succession. up a folio copy of Josephus's Works, all in one volume, bound in leather, with very thick boards. One of the covers had been nearly broken off, but was still held in its place by a few threads. "How much for Josephus, the great historian of the Jews?" cried the auctioneer. shall we have for Josephus?" "How much The audience The household But there was no response. was by no means a literary one. furniture had called forth many bidders, but no one wanted Josephus. It is true it was rather rough-looking externally, but it was fair print and paper, and complete. |