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A09493 A briefe relation of the late martyrdome of fiue Persians conuerted to the Catholique faith by the reformed Carmelites, who remaine in the mission of Persia, with the King of Persia, in his citty of Haspahan. And of the increase of the Christian faith in those parts. Gathered out of the letters, which the Fathers labouring in the said mission, haue written vnto their generall: which letters are printed in the Italian and French, and are now translated into English for the good of the Church Garayzabal, M. 1623 (1623) STC 19776; ESTC S114576 12,166 38

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hee should speake in the language of a Francke but being ignorant of the language he pawsed a while and then said that he was a Christian Francke which is as much as to say in the Persian tongue a Christian Catholique or one that yeeldeth obedience to the Pope afterwards the Chan asked Cassadir Cousin to Elia what he was and whither he went and vpon what affaires and finding him to be a Christian newly Baptized who went to accompany his Cousin and that they had no other businesse but to carie the Letters hee found about them out of the hatred hee bore to Christians the Chan begun to be enraged like a dogge and endeauoured by diuers meanes that is to say by threatnings torments perswasions and promises to make these two new Disciples of Iesus Christ to deny the holy faith and to returne to the false obseruance of Mahomet But GOD who neuer abandoneth those which trauaile for him and put their trust in him fauoured them with so great aboundance of his graces that they set light by the threats and torments and respected not the promises of the Tyrant but freely confessed that they were Christians and that GOD had shewed his fauour vnto them to draw them out of the darknesse of infidelity and the false sect and doctrine of Mahomet to the end they might know the true and onely faith of Iesus Christ in which they were both of them resolued to liue and dye The words of Elia like darts pierced the heart of the Chan who inraged with new indignation commaunded them to be caried into the sight of Ormus eight dayes distant from that place where they were at that time and in the presence of the Christians of that Citie to bee put to death in such manner as heare after shall bee declared In these eight dayes of trauaile they were most inhumanely handled and iniured induring hunger thirst and watching to which the cruell instruments of the diuell fierce in heart and sauage in behauiour added another more greater which was to labour diuers times to take from them the precious treasure of the sacred faith sometimes by threats other whiles by promises now by flatteries and againe by stripes vnder pretext to make them Runnagates and Apostataes But these true seruants of God tried like fine gold in the midst of so many persecutions suffered and indured all these cruelties with ioy of spirit and vnspeakeable constancie yeelding thankes to our good Lord Iesus Christ for the grace he bestowed on them in making them worthy to suffer and endure anything for his loue and for the holy faith which they had receiued in Baptisme Being argued in sight of Ormus these fierce and cruell ministers flayed an Asse and sowed the Martyr Elia in the skinne and afterwards nayled him on high to a great peece of wood he liued in this most cruell torment some houres praising and blessing God and preaching the faith of Iesus Christ after the best manner he could Cassadir was alwayes present at this spectacle who in stead of astonishment and loosing his courage for the torments that were inflicted vpon his Cousin was the more animated and remained alwayes constant confessing Iesus Christ and reiecting with an holy disdaine all those that counsailed him to returne vnto the Sect of Mahomet which was the cause that they tyed him to a Stake and ripped vp his belly Thus those two holy Martyrs finished their fraile life to the end to possesse and begin another eternall and happy insomuch as the ministers of cruelty and those other Infidels that were there present remained confused and astonished at the constancie of those two Martyrs I could not as yet vnderstand what became of the bodies of these two glorious Martyrs but I hope that God will preserue and reserue so great a treasure The Chan of Sciras being informed by these two glorious Martyrs Elia and Cassadir what those three other Christians were which according to the Fathers Letters were to be sent to Ormus and hauing notice both of their names by which they were baptized as for the others they had when they were yet Mahometans signified the whole proceedings by his Letters to the King of Persia and sent him those Letters which the holy Martyr Elia was to carie to Ormus The King hauing receiued this newes who at that time was three Leagues from the Citie commanded the foresaid three Christians to be apprehended who were not as yet departed and commanded the Daraga that is to say the Gouernour of the Citie of Haspaphan and the Captaine of the Campe to repaire vnto our Couent and shut vs vp therein which they punctually performed locking and sealing vp the Cells of the Couent and shutting all of vs together in one Chamber After this they asked Father Iohn whether hee thought he had done well or that it were fitting that hee should be the cause of such a matter considering that the King had alwayes entertained and honoured him Wherevnto the Father answered that hee came not into Persia for the honours and fauours which the King had bestowed on him but for the only hope he had not only to conuert the King but his whole Kingdome to the faith of Iesus Christ. With this answer the Gouernour and the Captaine of Iustice departed leauing the Monastarie full of Souldiers God so would that one of the Fathers was yet fasting notwithstanding that it was more then two of the clocke afternoone and thus consumated hee the holy Sacrament That night they forbad vs to performe our accustomed spirituall exercises beleeuing that we would set some Charmes and Sorceries a worke Yet did wee that which vpon such like occasion the Prophet Daniel did Your Reuerence may consider in what estate we were the house being full of Watchmen and Sergeants that were Infidels the gates of the Monastarie locked when as we might not speake to any of our friends or know what was done but were all of vs closed vp in a Chamber preparing our selues to giue our liues for Iesus Christ One onely thing afflicted vs which was that wee could not giue succours to the new Christians knowing for certaine that they suffered great necessity of all things and for that wee could not counsell and animate them being doubtfull of their perseuerance in the faith At that time wee betooke our selues to our prayers beseeching our Lord to giue them force and perseuerance offering vp our prayers to the two holy Martyrs Elia and Cassadir to the end they should interceede and pray for them Wee remained prisoners thus for three dayes space during which time each of vs prepared himselfe to dye and made a generall confession after the best manner we could The first day we read the life of St. Ignatius the Martyr the second of St. Lawrence and the third that of St. Katherine I cannot expresse vnto you the consolation and inward ioy that we felt nor the feruour or sensible apprehension and zeale of the Fathers euery houre
glorious seruant of God because the Execution was sodaine and without the Citty wee onely know that the Reliques are in the handes of the Christians and are kept by them with honour and reuerence The other eight that is to say the two Christians and the sixe Catechumens who had beene brought before the King with the holy Martyr Alexander were by his Maiesties commaundment led vnto Father Iohn to know which were the two that were Baptized for all of them had denyed themselues to be Christians We thus locked vp as wee haue signified vnto you the next day following about an houre within Night whilest we were occupied in mentall Prayer which we vse to make for one houre in the Euening and another in the Morning behold the Eight inchayned Prisoners together with the ministers of Cruelty came vnto vs commaunding the Father to certifie them which of those were the two Christians The Father animated and exhorted them to confesse the true and holy Faith which he had taught them and that God had engraued in them by holy Baptisme and which they with so much gladnes had at that time testified and also shewed vnto them that it was not lawfull for Christians to deny the Name of Iesus Christ at such time as they are constrained to confesse the same and afterwards hee tolde these whom the King had sent that Ioseph and Hebrain were the two which he had Baptized for the Father knew that the King was well informed of all one of these two relented a little because the Father had discouered him vttering forth certaine wordes whereby hee discouered his apprehension of the danger the other spake not one word Heere we haue an occasion wonderfully to admire the meanes which his Diuine Maiesty vsed at this time to assist those two soules and to crowne them with the crowne of holy Martyrdome prouoking euen the very ministers of Cruelty who led them to Martyrdome to animate them vnto Death for the loue of Iesus Christ for one of them said be not afraid of Death because it is our most assured heritage Thou art a Christian dye then in the Faith of Iesus Christ Another said this life passeth in a moment you shall goe and liue with Iesus Christ The last said Iesus Christ is aliue and is not dead as Mahomet is continue constant and you shall ascend to the fourth Heauen of Iesus Christ The next day earely in the morning they brought vs backe the Eight that were chayned together and with them a Portugall called Sebastian Duz taken Prisoner by the Kings Souldiers in his Warres and for that cause detained in Prison in Haspahan this did God ordaine for his greater Glory and the ayde of these new Christians Father Iohn issued out of the Gate with Bread to distribute amongst them and to refresh them a little but the Catechumens would take none yet did Ioseph and Hebrain receiue the same and gaue thereof likewise to Sebastian Duz entertaining Father Iohn with a ioyfull countenance and great contentment who called all the other Fathers and Religious for the common consolation of all and after he had exhorted the two Christians to perseuerance and without feare to confesse their God and Sauiour who gaue himselfe for our Redemption and to esteeme it to bee a great grace and blessing to be reputed his Martyrs and to remember themselues of the vertue courage and constancy of their three companions Elia Cassadir and Alexander who like glorious Saints enioy and for euer shall enioy Eternall glory whose intercession he promised them as also our prayers but aboue all the ayde and assistance of Iesus Christ in their passion and that their torments would seeme sweet and pleasant vnto them After this each one with teares in our eyes imbraced each other enuying their happines and reputing our selues not worthy of so great a fauour we tooke our leaue of them and they departed comforted ioyfull and inuested with a new Spirit but we remained sad and afflicted for that we were depriued of the Crowne of Martyrdome which wee so much desired wee setled our selues to prayers to assist them the best that wee could considering that it was not permitted to vs to doe otherwise neither to accompany them as wee desired and as we endeauored to doe But Sebastian Duz sufficiently supplyed our places heartning comforting and inciting them alwayes to behaue themselues like the true souldiers of Iesus Christ They two with the other seauen which were in chaynes that is to say Sebastian Duz with the sixe Catechumens in religion were led through the Citty of Haspahan and turned three times about the same and were then conueyed to the Kings presence meane while Sebastian Duz with the two new Christians confessed alwayes both passing thorough the Citty and in the way with a loude voyce and in the Kings presence the Name of Iesus Christ The King seeing this commaunded that Ioseph and Hebrain should bee stoned to Death and their Bodyes to be burned and that Sebastian Duz with the sixe Catechumens should be led backe to Prison and to this purpose it was Proclaimed throughout the Citty of Haspahan that those that loued Mahomet should repaire to the Execution place with Stones to chastice those who had denyed the Faith of Mahomet Being arriued at the place where this Execution of these two happy Christians was to bee performed The Gouernour of the Citty who is an Apostata and hath abiured Christian Religion alighted from his Horse taking the Mulaz with him to ass●●t him enforced himselfe to perswade these two Martyrs to make profession of the Law of Mahomet attempting them with their ordinary carnall and temporall reasons promising them not onely their liues and the Kings pardon but also great Rewards considering that not onely the matter concerned and hazarded their reputation but also the credit of their Prophet Mahomet Ioseph answered with great courage saying That although he were the first that denyed himselfe to bee a Christian at such time as the King questioned him thereupon yet now in no sort hee would commit such an errour for that the offence he had committed was too great already when in the Kings presence hee had denyed himselfe to bee a Christian hoping that our Lord Iesus Christ who had shewed him so much fauour as to call him to become a Christian would now giue him grace and force to suffer Death for his loue Whereupon they that were about him and particularly the Mulaz tooke vp stones to stone him which whilest they performed the Saint hauing his Head already broken and in peeces cryed out with a loude voyce Blessed bee the holy Name of Iesus his Faith is holy and true and that of Mahomets is false and no man can be saued thereby But Brethren God pardon you and giue you his holy light telling them further that hee felt no paine Hebrain that was the last to dye for Iesus Christ was tempted and likewise assaulted anew to deny the holy Faith