Shakespeare, in his "Love's Labour's Lost," says "Judas was hanged on an elder," and the story is further alluded to in Piers Plowman's vision: "Judas, he japed With Jewen silver, And sithen on an eller, Hanged himselve.

And sithen on an elder tree Hanged himsel.

When thou saw the king come with the cross on his shoulder, On the top of Calvary thou camest him against; Like a traitor untrue, treason thou thought; Thou laid upon my liege lord loathful hands, Sithen beat him on his body, and buffeted him rightly, then.

whom at the first I bred Of th'inward bale of my love-pined hart, And sithens have with sighes and sorrowes fed, Till greater then my wombe thou woxen art, Breake forth at length out of the inner part, In which thou lurkest lyke to vipers brood, And seeke some succour both to ease my smart, And also to sustayne thy selfe with food.

There was dwellynge somtyme a ryche man, and it is not longe sithen, and men clept him Gatholonabes; and he was fulle of cauteles and of sotylle disceytes; and he hadde a fulle fair castelle, and a strong, in a mountayne, so strong and so noble, that no man cowde devise a fairere ne a strangere.

And so evere more sithens, he is cleped Prestre John.

Sithen was there never man so hardy to say that he had seen the Sangreal.

[Footnote 27: Sithen is another form of sith, and means since.