Page:Goldenlegendlive00jaco.djvu/46

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32
S. Thomas the Apostle

clean services. Am I then to blame if I preach to thee to love God and his servants whom he loveth? I have made them clean servants to him. I have founded a tower; and thou sayst to me that I should destroy it. Also I have dolven in the deep earth, and have brought forth a fountain out of the abysm, and thou sayst I should stop it.' Then the king was angry, and commanded to bring forth pieces of iron burning, and made to set the apostle on them all naked, his feet bound. And anon by the will of our Lord, a fountain of water sourded and sprang up, and quenched it all. And then the king, by the counsel of his cousin, made him to be set in a burning furnace, which was made so cold that the next day he issued out all safe without harm. And then said Carisius to the king: 'Make him to offer sacrifice to one of the gods only, in such wise that he fall in the ire of his God that thus delivereth him.' And as they constrained him thereto, he said: 'King, thou art nothing more noble ne more mighty than be thy painters, and how despisest thou very God and worshippest a painting whom, thou weenest to be thy God? Like as Carisius hath said to thee, that my God should be angry when that I worshipped thy god. And if he be angered, it should be more to thy god than to me, for when thou shouldest ween that I worshipped thy God, I should worship mine.' And the king said: 'Why speakest thou to me such words?' And then the apostle commanded in Hebrew the devil that was within the idol that, as soon as he kneeled tofore the idol, he should anon break it in pieces. And the apostle kneeled and