Tr 
1923.] St. Thomas and San Thomé, Mylapore. 173 
prisoned Bishop Aithallaha (about 1653).' It is also stated 
that in 1810, when a non-Uniate Malabar Bishop died without 
ordaining a successor, the clergy took a priest, brought him to 
the dead body, said the Paves for ordaining a bishop, and 
laid the dead hand on his hea 
Our explanation about veneration shown to a statue of 
St. Thomas, instead of to the body of the pa was, we find, 
anticipated by Haulin. ‘* Moreover,’ he says, “ we migh 
think that what is said about St. Th omas’ hole should be 
attributed to some statue of the Holy Apostle (for we consider 
that also possible) rather than say that, either at Edessa or 
elsewhere, a few bona - and ashes of the Apostle wrought 
the above-said miracle. 
Why do we not w ae more ae dismiss 5a whole of this 
extraordinary story and brand it as a barefa x 2 e 
still think that the story eae from India, pnb ida rad 
as it is, it appears to establish with St. Thomas in India a link 
older by 170 years than Marco Polo, and as such it deserves to 
be treated with all considerateness 
Our first reason - thinking | so is that Bishep John de’ 
Marignoli picked up a t Mylapore itself in A.D. 1349 a story 
looms large in “Mar John III.’s account. “ Standing 
aircon ” writes de’ Marignolli, ‘‘are, however, to be seen 
there [at Mylapore] in respect both of the opening of the sea and 
of the peacocks (tam de aperitione maris quam.de pavons tbus).”’ 
“ There is nothing before,’ savs Yule, ‘‘ about this open- 
ing of the sea, and the meaning is dark. 5 Neither does ae 
Marignolli tell us in what the miracle of the peacocks ¢ 
sisted.° Probably he referred to two facts widely ae re 
medieval readers, Yule continues to say that John of Hese 
has a foolish story about St. Thomas’ body being on an island 
in the sea, and that, every year, a path was laid dry for fifteen 
days for the pilgrims to pass through the sea. We know that 
Story well enough by now. John of Hese had it from our Mar 
John 1. For once, however, we ~— with Yule when he 



. Fortescue, The lesser Eastern teehee pp. 364-365 
Tid 65, . 1, eesti Germann, Die Kirche der Thomaschristen, 
ere re- 
3 Raulin, Historia Eccl. Ma labaricae, p. 378. 
* Sir H. Yule, Casa and the Way thither, "Ist ed., London, 1866, il. 
® Ibid,, I. 376 
: aie be 
Jaleutta, we have dealt with ancient fs debe of le s between 
Christians and non-Christians at Mylapore. Cf. ibid., January 31-March 
28, 1923, pp. 79; 94; 110; 126; 142-143; 158-159; 174-175; 189-190. 
