The Legend of Miriam's Spring

There have been Jews in Yorkshire since before the conqueror came: even since before the Saxons. Some few of them are wealthy, lending money and gaining riches from usury, but most are poor. Some few hate the Christians, and sacrifice Christian babies in a dreadful parody of the sacrament, but most simply wish to be left alone. And left alone they should be, for the Lord claims vengeance for his own, and will exercise it in whatever way he wishes. Listen, then, and learn from the mistakes of others.

A long time ago a certain family of Jews lived in York. They were Joshua, Miriam his wife, Benjamin and Solomon their sons. Joshua was not a moneylender, but earned his living copying out manuscripts for those who could both read and pay. It was not a rich job, and the family struggled to survive, but Joshua worked hard. Now Joshua was not one of those illiterate scribes who merely copy the shape of the letters: he could read, and he read all the books that he was asked to copy. Thus he became very learned.

Miriam could also read, but she had not so much interest in the learning of men, rather studying the mysteries of the universe, and the occult powers of things. While Joshua would speak of panegyrics and poems, principles and proofs, Miriam found her joy rather in the acanthus and aspen, the agate and amethyst, the argentvivre and athanor, the astrolabe and albion. And so, despite their poverty, they were happy, for they could read from the books that Jacob had to copy. Indeed, Miriam sometimes helped in the work, for the woman is formed to be a helper to the man, but each woman can best help in her own way.

Now, it happened that a large number of books were brought to Joshua for copying, by one whom he had never seen before. His neighbours later claimed that the customer smelt of brimstone, and left the imprint of a cloven hoof in the dust outside his house, but those neighbours had their own guilt to assuage. The stranger gave Joshua half the fee in advance, with the promise of the rest when the books and the copies were delivered. Joshua began to copy the books, but although he could read, he could understand nothing of what was within them. Afraid that he might, through ignorance, make a mistake, he asked Miriam to read them, and see if she understood them.

Miriam began reading one morning, and copying out the manuscripts, and merely nodded in response to Joshua's asking whether she understood. When darkness began to fall, she raised the forefinger of her left hand, and light as bright as a dozen torches sprang from it. By that light, she continued to copy. All night and all the next day she worked, Joshua bringing her food, which was untouched, and vellum, which was rapidly consumed. At night, her finger blazed forth in the house, and during the day she worked in the light of the sun.

Benjamin was a handsome young man, and he had fallen in love with Sibilla, the daughter of a Christian merchant of the city. Sibilla was also in love with him, but Joshua and Miriam would not hear of him marrying a gentile: no more would Sibilla's parents have him marry a Jew. Long and hard he had begged for permission, but both parents were obdurate, and had, indeed, prepared other matches for their children. Now it happened that Benjamin had been away from home when the books arrived, for he was setting himself up as a merchant, determined to stand on his own feet. When he returned, it was the dead of night, and he was curious as to the source of the light emanating from the house. Entering, he saw his mother writing by the light of her finger. Calling on the name of Christ, he turned and fled. Miriam continued writing without pause, although Joshua sprang up and ran to the door, hoping to restrain his son. It was too late: the boy had fled into the darkness and vanished.

He went to the Minster, and there announced that he wished to be baptised, for he had seen the true wickedness of the ways of his race. He then went to Sibilla's father, and told him that he had discovered that his own mother was in league with the devil, and that while he had taken upon himself the Christian faith for spiritual protection, he turned to the worthy merchant for physical protection. The man was suspicious at first, but the priests of the minster confirmed Benjamin's story, and inflamed the passions of the merchant further. Sibilla and Benjamin, seeing here the way to their wedding, fanned the flames of anger and hatred.

Soon, the merchant and the priests were at the head of a mob that marched to the doors of Joshua's shop, where they demanded that Miriam be given to them, to be burnt as a witch. Joshua refused, and Solomon stood beside him to deny them entry. Behind them, Miriam sat writing, her finger glowing as evidence against her. The mob attacked, and Joshua and Solomon fought bravely. However, they were far outnumbered, and soon fell back. Solomon fell first, to a cudgel blow to the head, and a moment later Joshua was stabbed in the stomach.

At that instant, Miriam finished writing. She stood, and caught Joshua up in her arms, before running through the mob and out into the streets. They gathered horses, and chased after her, but Miriam stayed always slightly ahead, no matter how much they lashed their steeds and drove them on to greater effort. She fled north and west, through Richmond and up Swaledale, still pursued by the steeds of her enemies. Finally, she collapsed on the side of a hill, and laid down the body of her husband. He died there, and Miriam wept over his body as the mob climbed towards her. As she wept, the waters began to bubble from the ground under her husband, and his body was slowly dissolved in a growing pool, which rose to cover Miriam as well. The mob arrived at the edge of a placid lake, and began hunting around for the Jews.

Miriam arose from the centre of the water, her grief replaced by rage, and the lake burst forth in a raging torrent, sweeping the murderers down the hill and dashing them to their deaths in the valley below. Among the corpses were found both Benjamin and Sibilla, but of Joshua's body there was no sign. Miriam fled, some say to Castile, and was never seen again in England. But the story does not end there, for on the next morning the stranger returned to the shop and gathered up the volumes, leaving a pouch of gold in the shop, which was snatched by Peter the Jackdaw. And the spring remained on the side of the hill, and it is said that on certain nights of the year, it flows salt with tears, and that water is magical.