16 not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat: 17 Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so 18 were driven. And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship; 19 And the third day we cast out with our own hands 20 the tackling of the ship. And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved 21 was then taken away. But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and 22 loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer : for there shall be no loss of any man's life among 23 you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this 16. R.V. And running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were able, with difficulty, to secure the boat. The small boat was towed behind; they took advantage of the lee of the island to hoist it aboard. Luke speaks as though he himself helped. able." 66 " We were 17. R.V. Under-girding the ship. This was called frapping" it consisted in passing cables round the vessel. The chief difficulty is to know which way the cables were passed round, under the ship or lengthwise. The former would seem most probable, and is sometimes still used at sea; it would be extremely hard to fix anything along the sides of the vessel so as to hold in a storm; all the force of the sea would be against it. R.V. And fearing lest they should be cast upon the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and so were driven. The Syrtis Major is a sand bank on the African coast towards which the wind would drive them ; this enables us to understand the next phrase they lowered the gear"; it refers to some alteration of the sail by which they were able to wear the vessel up a little to the wind, and so change the course to a more westerly direction, thus avoiding the Syrtis. 18. R.V. And as we laboured exceedingly with the storm, the next day they began to throw the freight overboard. This means the day after they left Fair Havens. 19. R.V. They cast out with their own hands. 20. R.V. Sun nor stars shone upon us for many days. So they could not take their bearings. 21. R.V. And when they had been long without food. The most natural inference is that they were most of them ill; dried foods could otherwise have been taken. Paul stood forth. The phrase shows the great Apostle in the hour of danger calm and confident. R.V. Set sail from Crete, and have gotten this injury and loss. 23. R.V. An angel of the God whose I am, whom also I serve. night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I 24 serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Cæsar: and, lo, God hath given thee 25 all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer for I believe God, that it shall be even 26 as it was told me.. Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island. 27 III. THE SHIPWRECK (xxvii. 27-44). But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some 28 country; And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms. 29 Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished 30 for the day. And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they 31 would have cast anchors out of the foreship, Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except 24. R.V. Thou must stand before Cæsar. R.V. God hath granted thee. 25. R.V. It shall be even so as it hath been spoken unto me. were 27. R.V. As we driven to and fro in the sea of Adria. Fourteen days since they left Fair Havens. The ship would not be driven to and fro; but bearing up slightly to the wind would run fairly uniformly across the sea almost due west. This agrees with the Greek, The term Adria had a wider meaning than it has to-day. It did not coincide with the Adriatic, but included the whole of the sea between Malta and Crete; the narrow strip between Italy and Illyricum was called Mare Adriaticum. R.V. The sailors surmised that they were drawing near to some country. 28. R.V. And after a little space, they sounded again. They were in St. Paul's Bay. The soundings are quite correct for a vessel entering the bay from the west. 29. R.V. And fearing lest haply we should be cast ashore on rocky ground, they let go four anchors from the stern, etc. This was necessitated by their position. Had the anchors been let go by the bows the ship would have swung head on to the wind, and made it impossible next day to try and beach her. 30. R.V. And as the sailors were seeking to flee. . . and had lowered the boat. This translation shows it was the act of the sailors and not of the soldiers. R.V. Under colour as though they would lay out anchors from the foreship. The idea put forward was to steady the ship, by carrying the anchors to the cable's length; but they intended to leave the passengers to their fate. 31. Except these abide, etc. St. Paul means they were needed to work the vessel, 32 these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved. Then the soldiers cut off the 'ropes of the boat, and let 33 her fall off. And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and 34 continued fasting, having taken nothing. Wherefore I pray you to take some meat for this is for your health for there shall not an hair fall from 35 the head of any of you. And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all and when he had broken 36 it, he began to eat. Then were they all of good 37 cheer, and they also took some meat. And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen 38 souls. And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into 39 the sea. And when it was day, they knew not the land but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were 40 possible, to thrust in the ship. And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoisted up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward 41 shore. And falling into a place where two seas 33. R.V. That ye wait and continue fasting. Probably St. Paul means that the ordinary meals had been neglected in the anxiety, and on account of the work of the vessel. 34. R.V. This is for your safety, i.e., for the saving of their lives during the exposure still before them. 35. St. Paul even at this crisis does not depart from a custom sacred to Jew and Christian, the custom of saying grace. 36. R.V. Themselves also took food. 37. The number on the vessel was not large for some of the ships at that time. Josephus mentions six hundred on board the ship in which he went to Italy (Vita 3). 39. R.V. They perceived a certain bay with a beach, and they took counsel whether they could drive the ship upon it. This beach has since been worn away by the tides. 40. R.V. And casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea, at the same time loosing the bands of the rudders; and hoisting up the foresail to the wind, they made for the beach. The rudders on a ship of the time consisted of two paddles, one on either side of the ship; these had been lashed fast during the night, and were now set free for use. The translation foresail" has been much questioned; vessels of this kind carried one large square mainsail amidships, and a small sail at the bow; it is the latter which would best serve their purpose. 41. R.V. But lighting upon a place where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground; and the foreship struck and remained unmoveable, but the stern began to break up by the violence of met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the 42 waves. And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and 43 escape. But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves 44 first into the sea, and get to land: And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land. IV. ON THE ISLAND OF MALTA (XXViii. 1-10). CHAPTER XXVIII. I 2 A ND when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita. And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold. 3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the 4 heat, and fastened on his hand. And when the the waves. They ran between a small island and the mainland into the channel formed by the island, and struck a mud bank into which the bows of the vessel stuck. The small island is known as Salmun or Salmonetta. 43. R.V. Should cast themselves overboard and get first to the land. Perhaps with the view of helping the others as they floated towards the shore. 44. R.V. Some on planks, and some on other things from the ship, etc. St. Luke seems to imply that both he and Paul swam ashore. 1. R.V. And when we were escaped, then we knew, etc. 2. R.V. The barbarians showed us no common kindness. St. Luke's nationality comes out in the term 3. R.V. A viper came out by reason of the heat. No poisonous serpents are found on the island to-day; but Mr. Bryan Hook, of Farnham, Surrey, a naturalist, found in Malta a small snake, Coronella Austriaca, which is rare in England, but common in many parts of Europe. It is a constrictor without poison fangs, which would cling to the hand or arm as St. Luke describes. It is similar in size to the viper, and so like in markings and general appearance that Mr. Hook, when he caught his specimen, thought he was killing a viper. . . . It is known to be rather irritable, and to fix its small teeth so firmly into the human skin as to hang on and need a little, force to pull it off, though the teeth are too short to do barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped 5 the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no 6 harm. Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly; but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and 7 said that he was a god. In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged 8 us three days courteously. And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed 9 him. So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed : 10 Who also honoured us with many honours; and when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary. V. FROM MALTA TO ROME (xxviii. 11-15). II And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose |