Not
that I am in the least worthy to prefer such request unto Thee; but for
Thy great power and mercy I beseech Thee to hear this prayer from me Thy
servant full of sin."
And when he had ended this his prayer to God the Sovereign Father and
Giver of all grace, and whilst the Calif and all the Saracens, and other
people there, were looking on, the mountain rose out of its place and
moved to the spot which the Calif had pointed out! And when the Calif and
all his Saracens beheld, they stood amazed at the wonderful miracle that
God had wrought for the Christians, insomuch that a great number of the
Saracens became Christians. And even the Calif caused himself to be
baptised in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost,
Amen, and became a Christian, but in secret. Howbeit, when he died they
found a little cross hung round his neck; and therefore the Saracens would
not bury him with the other Califs, but put him in a place apart. The
Christians exulted greatly at this most holy miracle, and returned to
their homes full of joy, giving thanks to their Creator for that which He
had done.[NOTE 1]
And now you have heard in what wise took place this great miracle. And
marvel not that the Saracens hate the Christians; for the accursed law
that Mahommet gave them commands them to do all the mischief in their
power to all other descriptions of people, and especially to Christians;
to strip such of their goods, and do them all manner of evil, because they
belong not to their law. See then what an evil law and what naughty
commandments they have! But in such fashion the Saracens act, throughout
the world.
Now I have told you something of Baudas. I could easily indeed have told
you first of the affairs and the customs of the people there. But it would
be too long a business, looking to the great and strange things that I
have got to tell you, as you will find detailed in this Book.
So now I will tell you of the noble city of Tauris.
NOTE 1. - We may remember that at a date only three years before Marco
related this story (viz. in 1295), the cottage of Loreto is asserted to
have changed its locality for the third and last time by moving to the
site which it now occupies.
Some of the old Latin copies place the scene at Tauris. And I observe that
a missionary of the 16th century does the same.
