412 CHRISTIANITY IN CHINA, ETC. Persians. This town bears also the name of Ilus, and it is said that the body of the blessed Job lies there. Again, ascending a car drawn by camels, and travelling in company with accursed Saracens, followers of Ma- homet, myself the only Christian among them, I arrived at last in the empire of the Medes. God knows what I have suffered ; and it would be too long to relate to you all these miseries, and how the caravan of Saracens which I followed had to stop in all the towns for fear of robbers. I have had much torment from these Sa- racens, while preaching to them without ceasing, openly proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ and his Gospel, and unveiling the frauds and lies of their false prophet, confounding their errors, and putting to silence in pub- lic their frightful hayings. I had but little fear, since I trusted in our Lord, and the support of his Holy Spirit. At the epoch of one of their festivals they placed me before a mosque, where, on account of the solemnity, there assembled a great concourse of people and of Imaums. Being inspired by the Holy Spirit, I disputed their religion, their false Koran, and their doc- trines, for five-and-twenty days together, on this same spot before the mosque, so that I could hardly go home once a day to take some bread and water. The Holy Trinity was thus preached to them ; and after long op- position they ended by admitting it; and thanks to the protection of Almighty God, I always gained the vic- tory, to his honour, and that of our holy mother the Church. " These children of the devil endeavoured to seduce me by their presents, and promising me voluptuous enjoyments, honour, and riches, all that can be desired of worldly things ; they desired to pervert me, and when
