Declaring That Their Faith Was Most True And
Perfect, And The Only One By Which The Souls Of Men Could Possibly Be
Saved.
While they thus determined upon burning the friars, the report of
this affair spread over the whole city, and all the people of both sexes,
young and old, flocked to behold the spectacle.
The friars were accordingly
led to the most public square of the city, where a great fire was lighted
up, into which friar Thomas endeavoured to throw himself; but a Saracen
held him back, saying: "You shall not do so, old man, as you may have some
spell or contrivance about you, for preventing the fire from hurting you,
and you must allow another of your people to go into the fire." Then four
of the Saracens seized upon friar James, intending to have thrown him into
the fire, but he requested permission to walk in of his own accord, to shew
his devotion to the faith. This, however, they refused, and threw him in
headlong. The fire was so large and fierce that he could not be seen; yet
his voice was heard from the midst of the flames, calling upon the name of
the Glorious Virgin. When the fire was totally consumed, friar James was
seen standing on the embers, unhurt and joyful, with his hands raised to
heaven in form of the cross, and himself praising and glorifying GOD, who
had thus manifested the greatness of his faith; and nothing whatever about
his person, not even his clothes or his hair, was found in the slightest
degree injured by the fire. Upon this, all the people began to cry aloud,
"They are holy! they are holy! it is sinful to do them any injury, for we
see now that their faith is good and holy." To this the kadi objected,
saying that he was not holy, notwithstanding he remained unhurt amid the
fire; but that his tunic, being fabricated from the wool of the land of
Habraa, had protected him: That he ought therefore to be thrown naked into
the fire, and they should then see whether or not he would be consumed.
After this, the wicked Saracens, by direction of the kadi, made a fire
twice as large as the former; and, having stripped James quite naked, they
washed his body, and anointed him abundantly with oil, besides pouring a
great quantity of oil upon the faggots which composed the fire; and when
the fire was fully kindled, they threw friar James into the midst. Friars
Thomas and Demetrius, retiring from among the people, remained on their
knees praying to GOD, with many tears. Friar James, however, came a second
time unhurt from the fire, and the people again cried out that it was
sinful to injure these holy men. Upon this the Melich, or governor of the
city, called friar James to his presence, and causing him to put on his
garments, said to the friars, "We see, brothers, that by the Grace of God
ye have suffered no harm from us:
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