ABSTRACT
And as order was thus being taken for the burning of the friars, the report thereof spread like lightning throughout the whole city; and from the said city great and small, men and women, flocked together to see what should come of it. But the brethren were meanwhile brought out to 121the Medan 1 i.e., the piazza of the city, where an exceeding great fire had been kindled. And Friar Thomas went forward to cast himself into the fire, but as he did so a certain Saracen caught him by the hood, saying: “ Nay, thou shalt not go, for thou art old, and mayest have upon thee some crafty device whereby the fire could not burn thee; so let another than thou go in!” Then incontinently four Saracens laid violent hands on Friar James of Padua in order to cast him into the fire; but he said to them, “ Suffer me and I will of my own free will cast myself in.’’ But they, heeding not what he said, straightway threw him into it. And when they had done so, and he was there abiding in the fire, it blazed so high and far abroad that no one was able to see him, but they heard his voice continually invoking the name of the Blessed Virgin. And when the fire was quite spent, there was Friar James standing on the embers, joyous and exultant, with his hands raised to heaven making the sign of the cross, and with sound mind and pure heart praising the Lord without ceasing. And though the fire had been so great the slightest hurt or burn could not be found upon him. And when the people saw this they began to call out with one consent, “ They are saints ! They are saints ! ’Tis sin to do them hurt. And we see that in truth their religion is good and holy.” And when they had said thus, Friar James was called forth from the fire, and came out sound and unhurt. And when the Cadi saw this, he too began to cry out saying : “ He is no saint! he is no saint! But the reason why he is not burnt is that he hath on his back a garment from the land of Abraham 2 . Wherefore let him be stript naked and so cast into the fire!”
