The Shepherd of Hermas

And just as they had stood together round the gate, so the maidens who seemed to be strong were[*](The building of the stones by the maidens and the men) carrying, and they were stooping under the corners of the stone.[*](The meaning is that the four maidens kept to their original formation, with the four strongest at the corners, and the others in the middle of each side of the stone which they carried.) But the others were stooping by the sides of the stone, and so they were carrying all the stones. And they brought them through the gate as they had been commanded, and gave them to the men in the tower, and they took the stones and went on building.

Now, the building of the tower

And[*](The 2 stones) after the ten stones, twenty other stones came up out of the deep place, and these were fitted into the building of the tower and were carried by the maidens like the former stones. And after these[*](The 3 stones) there came up thirty-five, and these likewise were fitted into the tower. And after these there came[*](The 4 stones) up forty other stones, and all these were placed into the building of the tower; so there became four tiers in the foundations of the tower.

And they ceased to come up from the deep place, and the builders also stopped for a little. And again the[*](The second stage of the building) six men commanded the mass ot tile multitude to bring stones for the building of the tower from the mountains.

Therefore there were brought from all the mountains stones of different colours, hewn out by the men, and they were given to the maidens, and the maidens carried them through the gate and gave them over for the building of the tower. And when the various stones were put into the building they became all alike white and changed their various colours.

But some stones were given by the men for the building, which did not become bright but proved to remain as they were when they were put in. For they had not been given by the maidens, and had

And when the six men saw the unseemly stones in the building they commanded them to be taken away and to be brought down to their own place, whence they had been taken.

And they said to the men who were bringing the stones in: You must on no account put stones into the building, but put them by the side of the tower, that the maidens may bring them in through the gate, and give them over for the building. For if, said they, they are not brought in by the hands of these maidens through the gate they cannot change their colours; do not then, said they, labour in vain.