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MATTHEW OF WESTMINSTER
The flowers of history, especially such as relate to the affairs of Britain. Vol. I. B.C. 4004 to A.D. 1066.
page 150
A.D. 38. FILATE E3LLS HIMSELF.
and immediately rose up before him, and could not prevail npon himself to speak to him harshly on any subject ; and he, who in his absence appeared so terrible and cruel, is now in his presence found to be very mild. And when he 'had let him depart, he immediately became terribly enraged with him, calling out that he was miserable, because he had not at all explained to him the madness of his praetor ; and immediately he caused him to be recalled, swearing and vowing that he was the Son of Death, and (hat he was not worthy to Uve upon the earth. But the moment that he saw him again, he saluted him, and laid aside all his ferocity of disposition. All marvel, and he marvelled himself, that he was so enraged against Pilate while he was absent, and that while he was present, he was unable to speak at all harshly to him. And when this had happened three times, Veronica came in, and said to Cassar, " Ο Lord Caesar, that wicked man being clothed in the garment without seam, of my Lord Jesus, which his most glorious mother made for him with her own hands, makes every man peaceable towards him." Then Caesar ordered him to be stripped at that time, and immediately resumed towards him all his ferocity of disposition. And when the emperor expressed great astonishment at this circumstance, he was told that that had been the tunic of the
bord Jesus.
Then the emperor ordered him to be thrown into prison, while he was deliberating with the council of his wise men what ought to be done with him. Sentence therefore was given against Pilate, that he should be banished and condemned to the most shameful death. And Pilate, being banished by Caesar to Vienne, a city of Gaul, slew himself with his own hand and with his own knife, and by such a death escaped from a miserable life. And when Caesar heard of the death of Pilate, he said, " He has truly died by a most shameful death, when his own hand has not spared him." Therefore he was fastened to a great weight, and thrown into the river Tiber. But the malignant and sordid spirits, rejoicing in his malignant and sordid body, and carrying it aloft in the air, excited wonderful inundations in the waters, and produced in a terrible manner, lightnings, and tempests, and thunders, and hailstorms in the air, so that all men were kept in a state of fearful alarm. Wherefore the Romans dragged him out of
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