OF THE JUDGMENTS MADE BY SAINT THOMAS.—OF DEVOTION AND SACRIFICE
MADE TO IDOLS THERE, IN THE CITY OF CALAMY; AND OF THE PROCESSION
ABOUT THE CITY.
From that country we pass many districts, towards a country ten days'
journey thence, called Mabaron[374], which is a great kingdom,
containing many fair cities and towns. In that kingdom lies the body of
St. Thomas the Apostle, in flesh and bone, in a fair tomb, in the city
of Calamy; for there he was martyred and buried. But men of Assyria
carried his body into Mesopotamia, into the city of Edessa; and,
afterwards, he was brought thither again. And the arm and the hand that
he put in our Lord's side, when he appeared to him after his
resurrection, is yet lying in a vessel without the tomb. By that hand
they there make all their judgments. For when there is any dissension
between two parties, and each of them maintains his cause, both parties
write their causes in two bills, and put them in the hand of St.
Thomas; and anon he casts away the bill of the wrong cause, and holds
still the bill with the right cause. And, therefore, men come from far
countries to have judgment of doubtful causes. The church where St.
Thomas lies is both great and fair, and full of great simulacres, which
are great images that they call their gods, of which the least is as
great as two men. And, amongst the others, there is a great image larger
than any of the others, all covered with fine gold and precious stones
and rich pearls; and that idol is the god of false Christians, who have
renounced their faith. It sits in a chair of gold, very nobly arrayed,
and has about the neck large girdles made of gold and precious stones
and pearls. The church is full richly wrought, and gilt all over within.
And to that idol men go on pilgrimage, as commonly and with as great
devotion as Christian men go to St. James, or other holy pilgrimages.
And many people that come from far lands to seek that idol, for the
great devotion that they have, never look upwards, but evermore down to
the earth, for dread to see any thing about them that should hinder them
of their devotion. And some who go on pilgrimage to this idol bear
knives in their hands, that are very keen and sharp, and continually, as
they go, they smite themselves on their arms, legs, and thighs, with
many hideous wounds; and so they shed their blood for love of that idol.
They say that he is blessed and holy that dieth so for love of his god.
And others there are who carry their children to be slain as a sacrifice
to that idol; and after they have slain them, they sprinkle the blood
upon the idol. And some, who come from far, in going towards this idol,
at every third pass that they go from their home, they kneel, and so
continue till they come thither; and when they come there, they take
incense and other aromatic things of noble smell, and scent the idol, as
we here do God's precious body. And so people come to worship this
image, some a hundred miles, and some many more. And before the minster
of this idol is a pool, like a great lake, full of water; and therein
pilgrims cast gold and silver, pearls and precious stones, without
number, instead of offerings. And when the ministers of that church need
to make any reparation of the church or of any of the idols, they take
gold and silver, pearls and precious stones, out of the pond, to pay the
expenses of such thing as they make or repair. At great feasts and
solemnities of that idol, as the dedication of the church and the
enthroning of the idol, all the country about meet there, and set the
idol upon a chair with great reverence, well arrayed with cloths of
gold, of rich cloths of Tartary, of camaka[375], and other precious
cloths; and they lead him about the city with great solemnity. And
before the chair go first in procession all the maidens of the country,
two and two together; and, after them, the pilgrims. And some of them
fall down under the wheels of the chair, and let the chair go over them,
so that they die immediately. And some have their arms or their limbs
broken. And all this they do for love of their god, in great devotion.
And they think that the more pain and tribulation they suffer for love
of their god, the more joy they shall have in another world. In a word,
they suffer so great pains and so hard martyrdoms for love of their
idol, that a Christian, I believe, durst not take upon him the tenth
part of the pain for love of our Lord Jesus Christ. And after them,
before the chair, go all the minstrels of the country, with divers
instruments, and make all the melody they can. And when they have all
gone about the city, they return to the minster and put the idol again
into its place. And then, for the love and in worship of that idol, and
for the reverence of the feast, two hundred or three hundred persons
slay themselves with sharp knives, whose bodies they bring before the
idol; and then they say that those are saints, because they slew
themselves of their own good will, for love of their idol. And as men
here, that had a holy saint of their kin, would think that it was to
them a high worship, right so they think there. And as men here devoutly
would write holy saints' lives and their miracles, and sue for their
canonizations, right so do they there for them that slay themselves
voluntarily for love of their idol. And they say that they are glorious
martyrs and saints, and put them in their writings and in their
litanies, and boast them greatly one to another of their holy kinsmen,
that so became saints, and say, "I have more holy saints in my family
than thou in thine." And the custom also there is this, that when any
one has such devotion and intent to slay himself for love of his god,
they send for all their friends, and have numerous minstrels, and they
go before the idol, leading him that will slay himself for such
devotion, between them, with great reverence. And he, all naked, hath a
very sharp knife in his hand, and he cuts a great piece of his flesh and
casts it in the face of his idol, saying his prayers, recommending
himself to his god: and then he smites himself, and makes great wounds
and deep here and there, till he falls down dead. And then his friends
present his body to the idol; and then they say, singing, "Holy god,
behold what thy true servant hath done for thee; he hath forsaken his
wife, and his children, and his riches, and all the goods of the world
and his own life for the love of thee, and to make for thee sacrifice of
his flesh and of his blood. Wherefore, holy god, put him amongst thy
best beloved saints in thy bliss of paradise, for he hath well deserved
it." Then they make a great fire, and burn the body; and then every one
of his friends takes a quantity of the ashes, and keeps them instead of
relics, saying that it is a holy thing; and they dread no peril while
they have the holy ashes upon them. And they put his name in their
litanies as a saint.