Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 2.djvu/103

91 ST. MIGDONIA 91 Karisfa, a kinBman of Mazdai the king. She was very beantifol, posseflsed of great wealth and of greater ability than her husband. Hearing of the miraculous actions and the wonderful teaching of the apostle, she went in her palanquin, amongst the multitude, ** to see the new sight of the new God who was preached and the new apostle who was come to their country." She could not get near the preacher at first, on account of the dense crowd, but having sent to her husband for more serrants, at last, by dint of trampling down and beating back the people, they carried her to St. Thomas. He protested against this ill-treatment of the people, and she alighted from her palanquin and threw herself at his feet, thinking that he was the Lord Jesus of Whom he had been speaking. She was inspired with the desire to lead a new and holy life, and she went daily to hear him and lost all taste for her former occupations. Earish was much distressed by tiie change, which undermined his influence over her, but he seems to have treated her with great forbearance and kindness, affectionately entreating her not to leave his society and go after this strange man whom he considered as a sorcerer. Mazdai and Earish had St. Thomas arrested and beaten, but he sang in the prison and Migdonia went with Narkia, her nurse, and bribed the gaolers to let her visit him there. Treptia, the wife of ]^ng Mazdai, remonstrated with Migdonia, characterizing her conduct as unworthy of her free birth; but Migdonia reasoned with her so well that she went away half converted. Migdonia begged Narkia to bring with her one whole loaf of bread, a mingled draught of wine and water and a little oil, '* even if it be but in a lamp." But as they were setting out, they met St. Thomas, who had been miraculously released from prison on her account. The apostle anointed her head with the oil. He baptized her " in the basin of the conduit," and after that he let her partake of the table of the Messiah and of the cup of the Son of Grod. Narkia also was baptized, and the apostle having given them his bless- ing, returned to his prison, where he found the doors open and the watchmen asleep. In the morning Earish went to see what Migdonia was doing, and found her and Narkia praying and say- ing, " New Qrod, Who hast come hither by a strange man. Who art hidden from all the Indians. . . save us from the anger of Earish ; stop his lying mouth and cast him beneath the feet of Thy believers." Earish, although naturally annoyed on hearing this prayer, still tried the tenderest persuasions ; but when she had lectured him and had again utterly refused to return to con- jugal life, he went to the king and together they visited St. Thomas and entreated him to remove his spells from Migdonia, threatening him with death in case he did not do so ; but Thomas only went to his other converts and bap- tized and strengthened them. The king related the whole affair to his wife, and she went to her friend Migdonia and found her sitting on the ground in sack- cloth and ashes, praying for forgiveness of all her sins and a speedy release from this world. Treptia reproached her and affectionately begged her to consider her family and have pity on her husband. Migdonia, however, explained the matter so well to her friend that the queen became a convert. Vizan, the king's son, was converted also, and his wife Manashar, who had been a helpless invalid for six or seven years, was cured and joined the Christians. When St. Thomas had anointed and baptized and communicated them, he gave them all his final exhortation and blessing. Betum- ing to the prison, he found the soldiers waiting to put him to death, and told them to fulfil the commands of their master. Then they all struck him at oiice and he fell down and died. Mazdai and Earish brought home their wives, Treptia and Migdonia, and afflicted them much ; but, encouraged by the apparition of Thomas in a dream, they persevered in their new course, and their husbands seeing that they would not be persuaded, left them to walk in their own way. Long after these events, Mazdai also believed in Christ and St. Thomas. Apocryphal Acts of Judas Thomas (or the Twin), translated from Syriac MS. by Dr. W. Wright. St. Thomas is calle