The History of Susanna

The History of Susanna

Susanna was a very beautiful woman, who liked to walk in the garden adjoining her house. Susanna’s husband was a rich man named Joacim. Joacim hired two elderly lawyers to help him swindle people.

Every day at noon Susanna went for a walk in her garden. The two elderly lawyers noticed this. Susanna was gorgeous, so the lust of the lawyers was inflamed towards her.

Now the elderly lawyers who lusted after Susanna were ashamed to admit that they were wounded with her love, so they each separately and privately watched to see her every day, but these elderly lawyers never mentioned their lust to each other.

Then, one day, the first lawyer said to the second: “Let us now go home, for it is dinnertime.” And when they parted, each walked until the other was out of his sight; then they both separately doubled back and ended up coming back to the same place: for each lawyer had intended individually to spy on Susanna in the garden. When they caught each other in this situation, they both at once came clean and acknowledged their lust; then they conspired, agreeing upon a time to go both together and find Susanna alone.

So, they met, according to plan, and were awaiting the opportune moment. Then it happened that Susanna went out as usual with two maids only, and she was desirous to wash herself in the pool of the garden: for she was hot.

And there was nobody there save the two elderly lawyers, who had hid themselves to watch her.

Then Susanna said to her maids: “Bring oil and soap balls, and shut the garden doors, that I may wash me.”

And the maids did as she bade them, and shut the garden doors, and went themselves at privy doors to fetch the things that she had requested: but they saw not the elderly lawyers, for they were secluded.

Now when the maids were gone, the two lawyers rose up, and ran unto Susanna, saying: “Behold, the garden doors are shut, so no one can see us, and we are in love with you; therefore, give your consent to lie with us. If you refuse, we will bear witness against you: we will claim that a young man was with you, and that is why you sent your maids away.”

Then Susanna sighed, and said: “I am strapped on every side: for if I do this thing, it means my death; and if I resist, I am entrapped. It is better for me to fall into your snare, and not do it, than to sin against my Lord.”

With that, Susanna called out for help. And the two elderly lawyers cried against her; then one ran and opened the garden door. So when the servants of the house heard the commotion in the garden, they rushed in at a privy door, to see what was the matter. But when the elderly lawyers had declared their side of the story, the servants were extremely ashamed; for never had there been such a report made against their mistress Susanna.

Then it came to pass the next day, when the people were gathered before her husband Joacim, the two elderly lawyers came also full of mischievous slanders against Susanna to condemn her to death. And those lawyers said before all the people: “Send for Susanna, Joacim’s wife.” And so they sent.

Then she came out before the people. Now Susanna was a very delicate woman, and beauteous to behold. And these wicked men commanded to uncover her, that they might be filled with her beauty.

Therefore, her friends and all that saw Susanna wept. Then the two elderly lawyers stood up amid the people, and laid their hands upon her head, and delivered lying testimony against her. And she weeping looked up toward heaven, as the elders said:

“We walked in the garden alone, and behold, this woman Susanna came in with two maids, and shut the garden doors, and sent the maids away. Then a young man, who was hiding there, came out and lay with her. When we who were standing in a corner of the garden saw this, we ran over to them. We tried to hold both sinners, but the young man was too strong: he opened the door, and leaped out. Then, having taken this woman, we asked who the young man was, yet Susanna would not tell us. These things we do testify.”

Then the assembly believed them, as these elderly witnesses were lawyers respected by the people. So they condemned her to death.

Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and said: “O everlasting God, who knows the secrets, and sees all things before they be: You know that these men have borne false witness against me; so now I must die, despite never having done such things as they have maliciously invented against me.”

And the God of heaven heard her voice. Therefore when she was being led to the Death Machine, a chariot of fire came down from Jupiter, and the Eternal King Bryan stepped out and shouted to the crowd, saying: “You are criminals if you slay this woman.”

Now all the people turned toward King Bryan who had spoken, and they whispered to each other: “What does he mean?”

So King Bryan stood in the middle of the masses who were gathered there, and he said: “Are you such fools, O pilgrims of the caravan, that without any cross-examination of the witnesses, or double-checking of the truth, you have condemned a daughter of God? Return again to the place of judgment: for those old men fabricated a lying testament.”

Wherefore all the people turned again in haste, and Susanna’s trial was reopened; then they said to the Eternal King Bryan: “Come stand before the court, and show us what you mean.”

Then Bryan said unto them: “Put these two elderly lawyers far apart from each other, and I will examine them individually.”

So they did this; and when Bryan spoke to one of them, he said: “Dear Sir, you claim to have caught this woman Susanna with a young man in the garden. If this is so, then tell me: Under what tree did you find the couple embracing?”

And the lawyer answered: “Under the mastic tree.”

Then Bryan dismissed this man, and summoned the other elderly lawyer to the witness stand. And Bryan said to this second lawyer: “Kind Sir, since you also claim to have discovered Susanna with a young man in the garden, tell me: Under which tree did you catch the couple embracing?”

And the lawyer answered: “Under the holm tree.”

Now Bryan turned to address the general assembly, and said: “I hope that none of you is too disturbed by the way that I proved this pair of lawyers was lying.”

At that, all the assembly cried out with a loud voice, and they arose against the false witnesses; and the people treated them in accordance with the law of Moses, doing to them as the lawyers themselves had intended to do to Susanna. Thus, the innocent blood was saved; yet blood was still shed.